[name]Do[/name] you think the meaning of the name is all that important? The boyfriend likes [name]Delilah[/name] off my list. It’s got everything we’re looking for - we both like it, it has three syllables, it fits in with the other names…
The only problem is the meaning. Its meaning is “to flirt” and I’m not sure if that should stop me or not. I’d like for the names I choose to have meanings that are meaningful to me, but it’s not required…However, should a bad meaning stop me? Previously, I was worried about the prostitute connotation, but I got past it.
I’m just not sure and I would like your opinions. I tried thinking about how I would feel if my own name had a bad meaning, and I came to the conclusion that I would be a little bugged, but if I liked the name, I wouldn’t care. It’s not like the meaning is extremely relevant to everyday life, right?
Anyway - opinions?
Meaning matters to me. With bad meanings/connotations, I tend to brush them off, because I enjoy the irony of them and getting weird looks from people, even though the majority of the population won’t know the meaning of any given name…
I tend to trust this site for meanings. At any rate, if you like the sound of a name, the less-than-gloriously-positive meaning shouldn’t stop you. You aren’t calling your daughter a flirt or a weakling every time you say her name. You are calling her [name]Delilah[/name].
[name]Delilah[/name] does not mean “to flirt”.
Meaning is important to me but it’s not important to everyone and that’s fine.
If name meanings are important to you, then you should care about them.
Personally, I think a great meaning is an added value to a name.
I obviously enjoy it when I discover a new name and find out it has a great meaning. But if it doesn’t mean anything special, nevermind. I was in love with the name before, and will still be regardless of the meaning.
And you’re right, it’s not like the meaning is extremely relevant to everyday life. People don’t spend time googling the names of people they know and searching for their meanings.
Although i like my names to have good meanings, I don’t believe its a huge thing. Most people don’t even know what certain names mean.
Unless any of your family comes from a religious background (in which case naming your daughter [name]Delilah[/name] might be the equivalent of naming her “prostitute” in their mind) I wouldn’t worry too much about the meaning.
I’m pretty religious and I don’t consider [name]Delilah[/name] to be a bad name.
[name]Delilah[/name] was a fairly common name for Puritans in the 17th century. Biblical [name]Delilah[/name] may have betrayed her lover but she was also beautiful and clever.
My daughters name is Delilah. I did give meaning some thought, but in the end it was 1 of 2 names my husband and I agreed on. I loved Delilah enough to not let the meaning and name association wreck it for me. Same goes for my son’s name. Everyone who meets my children loves their names and we get a lot of complements.
Some people, teachers, strangers, family and friends will go home and google the name meaning. My one friend, who is a teacher, says she always looks up names of people she meets and the names of her students every year.
In the end it all comes down to how you feel about the name, and if you will ever feel guilty or not about giving your child that name.
I love the name and I don’t really trust the Bible to give objective history regarding her character.
I think the [name]Samson[/name] and [name]Delilah[/name] connection makes it totally unusable without that meaning anyway (especially because I’m a [name]Christian[/name]) and I personally think meaning and historical connection are both very important factors.